Tag: sports

Categories
Stories In Focus

Rallying the Den

by Bethany Tubman (’25)

The sports marketing club failed to recharter, and the leaderless Den (the affectionate name for the student sections) grew silent at games. 

“It was the summer before my junior year,” Tymber Wynn, a senior on the women’s basketball team, remembered. “Selah and I were just texting, saying we are tired of people never coming to games, and we just want to make it fun.” 

Wynn and Selah Kurtz (a 2024 Houghton University graduate) made an Instagram account in the summer of 2023 that cultivated a community of spirited Houghton students who would support the Houghton athletic community on and off the field. When asked how the name “Lander Nation” was chosen, Wynn enthusiastically said, “We literally did a poll on Instagram asking what people wanted it to be called! The name Lander Nation came from Carlee Miller, and people voted on that!” 

In the Fall semester of 2023, Lander Nation made its presence felt by the Houghton athletic community as they planned, hosted and promoted events like tailgates before games and themed spirit nights during games. The Instagram account caught the eye of the Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Jeremy Bialek. 

“We as coaches can try to get students excited about what we are doing or our teams, but when students are excited, it’s contagious, and that is what I saw from Lander Nation. It was very contagious,” he attested. 

Tricia Carmer, a sophomore on the women’s basketball team, said playing in the basketball games as a freshman and seeing the support of students taking part in their themed game nights inspired her. For Carmer, Lander Nation ignites campus spirit in and out of games. Carmer joined Wynn as Lander Nation continues pursuing the unique aim of reigniting Houghton school spirit and communal student support of athletic ventures. 

Lander Nation faced challenges as they worked in the Spring 2024 semester to become a university-recognized club in the upcoming Fall 2024 semester. Kurtz graduated in 2024, and Wynn and Carmer lacked knowledge about club development. According to Wynn, they turned to Coach Bialek and Director of Student Engagement Jana Newberry for guidance. Their support was instrumental in Lander Nation’s journey, she said. 

Coach Bialek suggested that he and Newberry helped Wynn and Carmer find a way to adopt the structure of the Sports Marketing Club into Lander Nation. This provided a new flair to sports marketing on campus. 

Carmer said this year, the club will focus on Basketball season because she and Wynn (both basketball players) are the only ones in the club. However, she hopes that if students enjoy the basketball season events, they will be interested in expanding the club’s reach.

When asked what they were most looking forward to for the 2024-2025 school year, Coach Bialek, Wynn and Carmer shared excitement for the Lander Nation shirts they are designing. 

Coach Bialek attested he was excited about the growth that the Den will see as Lander Nation provides more student Leadership through Den Days (these will be days students will be encouraged to go to games of the sport Lander Nation is trying to highlight at that time) and themed basketball game nights.

“I just encourage students to try it out. Go to a game. See what being part of the student section is like and maybe get some free shirts out of it,” said Coach Bialek. ★

Categories
Opinions

Volleyball: The Sport For Life

Lindsay Seddon

I remember my first day of modified volleyball practice when I was in 7th grade. My mom, who played volleyball in high school and here at Houghton, encouraged me to give it a try. I remember the majority of my friends heading to the soccer field while I headed to the outdoor makeshift volleyball court since the girl’s varsity team had priority for gym time. I remember in those first few days of practice finding the sport really hard, but I wanted to keep trying since it captured my interest. I couldn’t get my serve over the net, passing and setting to target was nonexistent, and a “kill” wasn’t even in my vocabulary at that point. However, volleyball was different from other sports I played throughout my life, and it was the beginning of what became (and still is) a huge part of who I am. 

You see, volleyball is so positionally technical, yet each member of the team has a very important role in the sequence of the game. You can’t get a swing without a set, and you can’t get a set without a pass. Everyone needs to work together to make an organized play happen. Culturally, it’s always been a very polite sport since it’s non-contact, yet the power and aggressiveness especially when going up for a swing or serve can be brutal. When you break it down, volleyball is all about being organized as a team, dominating your position, and keeping the ball in play on your side at all times. I love that. 

They say volleyball is a lifetime sport, and I agree. For example, our assistant coach for the HUMVB team, David Bourne, plays for a 55’s and over team who qualified for nationals this past fall. The game changes as you get older, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play. Often you see older teams beat younger teams because their game IQ is so high from playing for so many years. They know how to change up the pace and read the opposing offense which keeps them one step ahead, positioning exactly where they need to be on the court at all times. Another example is our very own Men’s Volleyball team. We have a range of experience levels as a beginner program. However, when they brought home their first win in program history this past weekend, it proved you can pick up the sport and succeed when you train hard and work together as one unit. 

Someone once said that watching our high school varsity volleyball team play looked like a ballet. Not because of its delicate nature, but how we flowed and synced as a team on the court. That’s how organized we were as six individuals behind a 7’4” net working close together in a 30x30ft perimeter court. We knew each other’s tendencies and thought processes. Our setter tailored sets perfectly to each hitter for a flawless swing resulting in a kill. We knew when we were going flat how to reset and pick one another up; finishing what we started together. If we were out of system on the court, we knew as a team we had each other’s backs to better the ball for the next person to keep it in play. I had full faith in our defense because I knew they would never let a ball touch the floor. As a team we weren’t perfect, and we had our losses, but we built trust and respect for one another through it all, and that took us to heights we never imagined. I can see why this person thought it looked like a dance, because we knew how to work together.

After modified volleyball, I began the pursuit of earning an athletic scholarship when making the varsity team my freshman year. During those four years we won sectionals, regionals, and went to states. I played club volleyball all year round where we participated in tournaments across the country, and a dream was fulfilled when I received an athletic scholarship to play for the women’s volleyball team here at Houghton (this is when we were NAIA). To say I loved every minute of it all would be a lie, but how do you learn to work with others and grow in character when you aren’t challenged or go through setbacks? Sports in general are a great teacher of that. However, there is something about volleyball that is so unique. 

Volleyball is a game that takes you on emotional and mental highs and lows. In soccer or basketball a mistake can be quickly erased by stealing the ball back, etc., since the game is in constant motion. If you shank a serve in volleyball, that’s it. The point is gone forever and given to the other team. Between every point in the game of volleyball is the opportunity to mentally train yourself to keep moving forward or dwell on mistakes that can bring a whole team down. Momentum, communication, anticipation, and organization are key, and if you lose it, a team needs to work fiercely to get it back.

Seeing the sport grow over the last decade is proof that it’s rapidly capturing the interest of generations to come. 2023 saw the highest number of men’s volleyball programs added in the NCAA (including Houghton!). In August, a Nebraska Women’s Volleyball match broke the world record for the largest crowd ever in a women’s sporting event, beating the Women’s Soccer World Cup final crowd record just a few months earlier. And last week was the launch of the Pro Volleyball Federation, a professional league for women’s volleyball here in the USA. I love sports, but I love volleyball the most. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think volleyball is the sport for life, and I’m so thankful to know it. ★

Categories
Campus News

Houghton’s New Men’s Volleyball Team

Houghton's men's volleyball team practicing - Courtesy of Svannah Stitt
By Abigail Bates ('26)

Houghton’s new men’s volleyball program began playing in 2023-2024, under its Head Coach Lindsay Seddon and Assistant Coach Dave Bourne.

“When I decided to attend Houghton,” Elijah Sproull (‘26), a setter and rightside hitter, commented,  “I had accepted that I was leaving Volleyball behind, it was hard but I felt that this was where the Lord wanted me to be. I know now he has many reasons for having me here and being a part of this team is one of those.”

Lindsay Seddon, a volleyball alumna of Houghton University, returned in May of 2023 to serve as the program’s first Head Coach, with Coach Bourne later joining her in August. While women’s volleyball has strong roots at Houghton, men’s volleyball was only an active club sport during the 1990s and early 2000s. The current team consists of 14 players—Jerry Buno, Devin Burns, Luke George, Caleb Holscher, Gabriel Lucena, Thomas McGlynn, Anthony Panboon, Jonah Sissel, Elijah Sproull, Jase Stone, Elijah Studt, Devin Tullar, Jared Wright and Luke Yelle—who all entered the program with different levels of experience.

“Coach [Lindsay],” outside hitter Caleb Holscher (‘26) stated, “has done an incredible job of getting our program off the ground. She was tasked with taking a team of competitive volleyball players, athletes who had only played pick-up and Athletes who had never played the game and she made a team out of us.”

Due to the program being new, the coaches have been developing its foundations during the current season.

“Our focus this season is to cultivate who Houghton Men’s Volleyball is: and that’s representing Jesus by doing good work in all that we do, together,” Coach Seddon emphasized. 

Holscher put it as a motto of “More of Him,” which he explained as focusing on more of Jesus and less of themselves. He has expressed pride in how his teammates have embodied this attitude through honoring Christ first, building one another up, working hard to improve, preparing the program for future athletes and their brotherhood that encourages one another to be better men of God.

“The team has been amazing,” Sproull declared, “it has been awesome to see the exponential improvement from every player. We are the fastest improving team and that is so cool to be a part of.”

The team’s daily practices begin by warming up and stretching, and then they do partner control drills that focus on refining technique. Coach Seddon explained that when she and Coach Bourne spot weak points during their review of matches from the day prior, they will implement drills during practice to help the team perform better in those areas.

“Our guys are the best!” Coach Bourne expressed. “There is a great deal of cohesiveness and respect amongst all players. They value their relationship with God first and foremost. They work very hard and we can also share some laughs and lighter moments, too. We have many first time volleyball players that have taken learning the game very seriously. This is evidenced by the amazing improvement we have seen by all. All this has been nourished by Lindsay’s coaching and leadership.”

Holscher and Sproull both commented on how amazing their coaches have been this season, with Coach Seddon starting the program and Coach Bourne bringing his vast knowledge and experience to the team. Holscher added that a quote of Coach Bourne’s is “the ball doesn’t hit the floor without a body hitting the floor with it,” exemplifying how Coach Bourne keeps the atmosphere of the team light, while never being afraid to push Holscher and his teammates to give their best, no matter the circumstances.

“When the team [is] dialled in and focused, they are a force to be reckoned with and can keep up with teams who are more established,” Coach Seddon remarked.

The men’s volleyball team had their first match win against Maranatha Baptist this last Saturday Jan. 27 and will be up against Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday Feb. 3. While the team has played Roberts Wesleyan twice without winning yet, Holscher explained that they are excited to get “another shot at it” this weekend.

“So be at Nielsen at 2:00 this Saturday,” Holscher stated, “cause if we beat Roberts you’re gonna wish you had been in the building.” ★

Categories
Campus Sports Stories In Focus

Social Division: Athletes and NARPs

Sports division graphic - Courtesy of Savannah Stitt
By Sophia Vernon ('26)

“[Athletes] are a clique because they all know each other,” stated Abigail Franz (’25), adding that “sometimes it feels like because I’m not on a sports team, I’m on a different level, and there is a divide.”

Franz exemplifies an overarching feeling of detachment and separation between non-athletes and the third of Houghton’s student body that plays a sport.

Franz, a biology major, explained that “the bio department is pretty overrun by sports people wanting to do exercise science.” She stated that her experiences with getting to know athletes individually have been positive; however, “it’s hard because of that initial divide.”

On the flip side, Arija Grant (’26), a Houghton Women’s Tennis player, explained that she has often felt excluded from on-campus events due to practice and game schedules, highlighting specifically an away tennis match she had on the same night as a homecoming dance.

Jana Newberry, the Director of Student Engagement, emphasized that “the distinction between athletes and non-athletes is natural” and that she does not “necessarily get mad at it.” Echoing student concerns, Newberry stated, “I have a problem with athletes feeling excluded from things,” pointing out that “there is too much distance.” She attributes this problem in part to both groups “not knowing what they don’t know about how to get plugged in” and a “lack of understanding and stereotypes.”

Newberry spoke on the natural divides arising from the lack of athletic representation and participation in the Campus Activities Board (CAB) events. She addressed that “sometimes the (CAB) events can be echo chambers,” with the same people attending events, lacking expansion to wider audiences. 

Enter Selah Kertz (’24), Tymber Wynn (’25) with Lander Nation. When asked about her experience with the social dynamics between athletes and non-athletes on campus, Kertz stated, “It feels really divided.” She related her experience during her semester on the track team of eating dinner with the team and sitting on the “sports side” of the dining hall, but that “looking from the other side (non-athlete perspective), it feels very separate.” She explained that this time on the track team assisted her in making athlete friends, stating, “I’m not sure I would have met a lot of the people I know without my previous connections to other athletes.”

Resulting from the lack of community and spirit between athletes and non-athletes, Kertz and Wynn started Lander Nation, a non-Houghton-affiliated group on campus that works through on-campus events, themes and representatives for each athletic team to foster school spirit and community. Kertz explained that she knows a lot of “NARPs” (non-athlete-regular-person), and Wynn, a Houghton Women’s Basketball player, knows a lot of athletes. The intention was to “bring NARPs in to participate in athletics,” as well as “bridging the gap and having actual school spirit.” 

Grant explained how easy it is for athletes to feel excluded from school events and isolated to teams, stating that “there is a divide because of how much intentional time you spend with your team” and that “it’s obvious you’re going to get closer with people you spend so much time with.” In troubleshooting the problem, Grant pointed out, “Houghton does a pretty good job emphasizing music and art, but there could be better advertising (for athletic events) on campus.” She concluded that “athletes could be encouraged to support other areas, and it could go both ways.” ★

Categories
News

Highlander Spring Athletics in Full Swing

Courtesy of Jason Mucher
By Caleb Welker

All statistics as of 3/6/2023

Houghton University’s Spring Athletic Season has officially begun. The Highlander Baseball, Softball, and Men’s tennis seasons have started, while the men’s and women’s track and field season transitions from indoor to outdoor. It has been a long wait for many, and the wait is finally over as last week the contests began for our spring athletes.

Houghton Baseball’s season has started with an up-and-down trip to Florida. The preparation for the season mainly consisted of indoor practices in the KPAC due to weather, but the Highlanders worked through the circumstances to prepare. When the time came for them to compete, the Highlanders seemed to start flat. Before the trip, Houghton played an impromptu game versus Pitt-Bradford, in which they lost 11-3. Then, a week later, they lost the first two games of their Florida trip. However, they eventually were able to ramp things up, putting together a three-game win streak; but after that, they lost their next four games. Despite narrowly losing their first game on the last day of the trip, the Highlanders used the momentum that they had built from a late-game surge to push past Norwich by the score of 17-6. Throughout the trip, several players stood out on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Zach Parr (‘23) and Ian Slate (‘24) led the team in batting average on the trip, collecting 22 of the Highlanders’ 90 team hits in the first eleven games. Meanwhile, Pitcher Aiden Talcott (‘26) led the team to two victories, including a seven-inning complete game against Chatham.

The Highlander Softball Team struggled during their first stretch of the season, falling short in each of their eight games in Florida. Like Baseball, most of their practices were indoors, but the softball team wasn’t able to schedule any games before their trip, so their first action was in Florida. They fought hard in each of their games against tough opponents, as their best game came against Adrian College, in which they fought hard until the very end, but unfortunately came up just short of the Bulldogs, losing 4-3. Leading the way on offense for the Highlanders was Junior Carlee Miller.  Miller hit .429 with three doubles over the trip. Alisabeth Crandall (‘24) and Kayla Loomis (‘23) led the way on the mound with four strikeouts each while Jen Burrows (‘23) tacked on three strikeouts.  

Men’s Tennis came out of the gates well, with a 2-3 start to their season. The Highlanders had previously battled with Allegheny in the fall, and Ithaca before February Break, falling to both of them to start the season 0-2, but they strung together two wins to open their Spring Break and lost to St. Bonaventure to close it out. Two of their first five matches were on the home courts of Houghton’s Kerr Pegula Field House, where tennis has spent most of its time practicing. When the weather cooperates, they will compete up the hill at the tennis courts near the Nielsen Center.  One of the highlights of the week was the Highlanders’ impressive 9-0 rout of Wilkes University. The Highlanders blew the Colonels out of the water, not surrendering a single set. Four Highlanders, Sam Bonisteel (‘26), Nolan Zach (‘25), Marcello Garcia (‘26), and Adam Brown (‘23), had perfect sets in the win. 

As the indoor track season comes to a close, the Highlanders look forward to the Spring Season. The Highlanders men’s and women’s teams combined for ten podium appearances at the Empire 8 Championship event on Feb. 24-25. These appearances include two first-place finishes. The first is from Senior Amanda Burrichter, who won the Women’s 3,000-meter championship with a time of 10:15.82.  The second is from Graduate Student Malachi Yeager, who won the heptathlon with a Houghton University record of 4,464 points. 

Finally, as spring sports begin, one more Houghton Winter Sport has yet to come to a close. Women’s Basketball will head to Indiana next week to compete in the National Christian College Athletic Association’s Division I National Championship tournament. They will be guaranteed three games with more information as to who they will play coming soon. ★

Categories
News

Despite Difficulties, Spring Sports Deemed Success

Houghton’s men’s soccer team celebrates on the field at a recent game. COURTESY OF JASON MUCHER

By Vanessa Bray (’21)

Houghton’s athletic department has had to make several adjustments for this unique sports season. From mandating masks for both games and practices, to routine COVID tests for all student athletes, coaches, and staff, Houghton athletics has had to adapt accordingly. Athletics Director, Matthew Webb, discussed some of the differences this season has brought. One of the main differences being that all sports, including those which would traditionally be in the fall or winter seasons, are being held in the spring. Webb explained, “Basically, we are doing all of our sports. Where we typically would do them in August through May, now we’re doing all of our teams in March, April, and May. So, that’s been a little challenging.” 

According to Webb, one of the biggest challenges has been the balancing act for dual athletes. “In a normal year…,” says Webb, “If you’re a fall sport athlete and a spring sport athlete that’s pretty manageable. This year because we’re doing all of our sports in the spring, for those athletes that play for two teams, that has become much harder to balance and manage. There are some cases where a small handful of our student athletes are playing a lot of games in a short period of time…that’s a burden that isn’t easy to manage.”

To help mitigate this challenge coaches have made efforts to work with and support athletes involved in dual sports. Allowances and accommodations have also been made for those who have needed to prioritize their academics and take brief hiatuses from athletes. “Trying to meet the needs of the students in terms of what they need relative to their academics is something our coaches have been really good about,” says Webb.

All dual student athletes were given the option at the beginning of the season to participate in both of their usual sports or opt out of one. Dual athlete, Nathanial Zedomi (’21), who has taken part in both men’s soccer and track since freshman year, had to make the difficult decision to opt out of soccer this season. “Especially since I’m graduating, I’m bummed that I couldn’t do soccer this year…,” says Zedomi, “but if I want to be really good at track right now having played a soccer game the day before I go to run our meet is probably not a good idea. So, I had to pick one…that was super hard.”  

Other challenges consistently faced by student athletes have been the anxiety of receiving a positive COVID test result, having to undergo quarantine (resulting in a week’s worth of missed practice), or accumulating enough COVID violations to result in being kicked off their respective teams. 

The anxiety surrounding each week of testing has stirred uncertainty in the athlete’s opportunities to compete. Zedomi explains, “…if someone tests positive then we have a handicap on our team…you are always kind of on edge because you just never know. Every week we’re not sure if we are going to be able to compete that weekend…we’re kind of training and hoping that we can…but there is lots of anxiety around COVID testing…”.

Equally challenging has been adjusting to shorter practice slots, fewer games, and the absence of fans. Senior field hockey player Hannah Daniels (’21) comments that, “One of the most difficult things to adjust to is the lack of games we have this season…we usually play around 18 games a season, but this season we’re only getting 5. It’s disappointing not to play as many games as usual, especially since this is my last season…”

Despite these disappointments both Zedomi and Daniels expressed their gratitude for being able to compete again. “It’s frustrating but we’re just happy that we can…” says Zedomi. “I am very grateful that I have a season,” says Daniels, “and for every chance I get to step onto the field.” Although both Zedomi and Daniels have had less opportunities to compete their teams have had good results.   

Given the unique circumstances Webb credits this season as a success. “We haven’t finished yet for everybody, but for the most part it’s been pretty successful. We’re still competing and we’re getting into playoffs for some of our teams…Some of our teams have done really well, some have struggled a little bit…Overall, it’s been a successful spring. As a department we sort of redefined success a little bit this year because of COVID, and one of our definitions of success was making it through the spring.”

Since most of the DIII conferences in New York state did not have conference seasons, Houghton’s ability to take part in a fuller conference season has been a morale booster. 

“Our athletes and coaches have been great,” says Webb, “Not that there aren’t moments that are frustrating, but our perspective has been all along that we need to do whatever we have to do to compete again. We want to compete. The athletes, coaches, they just wanted to compete. If it means we have to wear masks all the time, we’ll wear masks all the time. If it means we have to test, we’ll test…our perspective was it was important to get back to competing and having a little of that routine again in terms of what we are used to and for many of the athletes the thing they love the most. They’ve done great. They’ve responded really well…We’ve had some bumps and hurdles along the way. We’ve had to cancel a game here and there…but for the most part they’re doing great and our vast amount of negative test results I think is a testament to how well we’ve done.” 

Since New York state restrictions on spectating outdoor sports events has loosened, Webb encourages students to look out for the registration sign-up emails sent out each week and come support the teams as this unique season comes to an end! ★

Categories
Campus News Sports

The Return of Sports

Houghton defends against Elmira's offense in March 2 matchup. Photo courtesy of Houghton College Athletics

By Erin Maggio (’21)

With the women’s basketball team taking the court against Elmira College on March 6, the 357 day streak of no Houghton Highlander teams competing will be snapped. With the spring 2020 season being halted due to COVID-19 and the fall 2020 seasons being pushed to this spring, no teams have competed since March 10, 2020, when the men’s lacrosse team came away with a 21-12 defeat over the Keystone Giants and the women’s lacrosse team bested the Hilbert Hawks 23-4. 

With fall teams having their seasons pushed to the spring, many of them have not hit the field in well over a year, including the men’s and women’s soccer teams and women’s field hockey team, who have not played a game  in well over 450 days, since their last competitions on November 2, 2019.  

However long the drought of competition riddled with uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Houghton’s athletic conference, the Empire 8, has unrolled plans for all 23 Empire 8 sponsored sports to hold competition per their Instagram post on March 1. This arrangement includes fall, winter, and spring sports all playing in the next few months. 

“The approach to the spring seasons for all our sports has been very unique to say the least!” Houghton’s Athletic Director Matthew Webb commented. 

Some of this uniqueness comes from the fact that fall and winter team sports will be having abbreviated schedules, most playing just fellow conference teams. While normal seasons in the fall typically span nine to 10 weeks, the seasons this spring will be about four to five weeks in length. 

Another aspect of the season which differs from the past is the “opt-out” process which the Empire 8 has created because of the unique impact that the pandemic has on many teams and institutions. Teams from across the conference have had to opt out due to roster size implications, whether because of dual-sport athletes, students not returning to campuses this spring, or actual COVID related issues like positive cases and quarantine.

In terms of Houghton specifically, two teams have opted out of competition this spring. The first of these is the men’s lacrosse team, who, according to Webb, “actually initiated this response as they came to the [athletic department] with their preference to just compete internally this spring.” Webb added that there were many factors which led to this. Though they won’t be playing a full Empire 8 schedule, it is possible that they may play a few games. 

The other Houghton team opting out is the women’s basketball team. This decision rests on the fact that the team has a small roster with many dual sport athletes which makes choices limited. Rather than a full conference schedule, they will be hitting the court for three competitions, the first of which will be the aforementioned contest against the Elmira Soaring Eagles. The other two will be on March 4 and 9, against Alfred University and a rematch with Elmira College, respectively. 

More than 230 student athletes will compete for Houghton this spring. But with this opportunity comes the responsibility of strict adherence to COVID protocols to keep themselves, their teams, opponents, faculty, staff, fellow students, and community members safe. These include wearing a mask at all required times, social distancing, attending all scheduled COVID-19 tests, and participating in any necessary contact tracing. 

Along with such protocol, the conference and Houghton’s Athletic Department have taken increased measures to protect all involved. On February 16 the conference announced their plans to proceed with spring competition, along with information concerning safety measures. “The Empire 8 has adopted more robust testing standards than the NCAA guidelines for intermediate and low risk sports in the interest of student-athlete health and safety,” the press release shared. 

Chuck Mitrano, the Empire 8’s Commissioner celebrated the resumption of conference competition on Instagram; “Nothing great is achieved without persistence and teamwork. The return to athletics competition has been challenging but we are thrilled to have preserved opportunity for many of our fall and winter student-athletes. Thanks to the energy and collaborative leadership of our presidents, directors of athletics, senior woman administrators, athletic trainers, sports information directors and coaches, the day has arrived! This is truly a statement about our commitment to the Empire 8 student-athletes!” he remarked.

While no in-person attendance is allowed at intercollegiate events as per New York State guidelines, fans can follow along with most home contests through Stretch Internet and be on the lookout for live streams from opponents in the case of away games. ★

Categories
Campus News Sports

Houghton Lacrosse Faces Extinction

Cori Beck (‘20) cradles ball in game. Photo courtesy of Jason Mucher.

By Erin Maggio (’21)

On Thursday January 21, the Houghton Athletic Department announced that its men’s and women’s lacrosse programs would have just one last season of competition this spring before being discontinued. 

This past fall a task force, with representation from athletics and enrollment, was assembled for a formal review which led to the decision that was then finalized in January.  

The press release cites this change being made to allow for resources to be reallocated, especially to give more support to programs they feel have “the potential for greater strategic impact and growth for the department and college.” This includes a plan to put more support into various areas including wellness and recreation programming and the track and field program.

The task force found that there is a growing interest in the health and wellness of the community. In order to fill this, the department is planning to bolster its offerings of fitness opportunities, maximize the use of Houghton’s facilities, launch a club sports program, and  rejuvenate its intramural sports. 

In terms of reallocation in the track and field program, this decision means the addition of two graduate assistant coaches. Director of Athletics Matthew Webb says that “of all our sports, track and field has the greatest potential to grow its roster. We are increasing our expectations for recruitment in this area…[and] we anticipate this investment will have a positive impact on the enrollment of new students at the college.”

Current and former students, though, were not as impressed. Upon hearing of this decision, a group of eight current and former Houghton lacrosse players created an online petition directed to the College’s Board of Trustees. The group—consisting of Nathan Anderson (’21), Andrew Bub (’19), Cole Chapman (’19), Marissa Hews (’20), Quinn Hull (’20), Alyssa Johnson (Strom) (’18), Tom Woodward (’20), and Michael Wrobel (’21)—included a few who originally wrote individual letters to Matthew Webb. According to Hull, all of these were met with nearly identical responses. 

“After receiving those responses, I jumped on a FaceTime call with former teammates of mine Tom Woodward, Nate Anderson, Mike Wrobel, Andrew Bub, and Cole Chapman. We all decided that our next move would be to write to the chairman of the board of trustees for Houghton College in an attempt to have them review this decision. The six of us reached out to Marissa Hews and Alyssa Johnson of the women’s program to help us with their side of things and make sure both teams had a voice in this attempt at a review,” Hull recounted. This letter was included at the beginning of the petition.

Along with other aspects, the letter included qualms with the decision itself. Primarily, they felt the decision was contradictory. Webb stated that the decision was made to “find ways to invest our resources that align with [the Athletic Departments’] priorities for competitive excellence and that support areas where there is the most potential for growth.” However, the petitioners felt that the lacrosse programs supported such ideals of competitive excellence, pointing out the men’s improving winning percentage in the past three seasons as well as the women’s program’s statistical achievements. 

The group also took issue with the handling and timing of the decision. For instance, they say “there was no effort made to save the program through other means,” as they believe there could have been a call for fundraising from alumni or individual team fundraising. Instead, the teams were only notified of the decision once it was final. The decision announcement was also problematic to the group because it was announced after spring semester bills for students were due, which hampered student-athletes’ abilities to transfer. 

The letter continued by outlining ways that the group perceived the lacrosse programs to be behind all along due to the way they were handled, including, but not limited to the men’s program being rushed into participation prior to having a proper lacrosse coach or an initial recruiting class, and a high turnover rate in coaching on the women’s side. The group also included possible alternative solutions to simply cutting the programs “as they sit on the cusp of breakthrough.” 

The petition, which is now closed, amassed 2,074 signatures and 261 comments, including those “from students, faculty, staff, family members, complete strangers, and even from among the ranks of [the programs’] Empire 8 competition like Sage, Hartwick, St. John Fisher, and more,” according to Anderson. 

As of now, it does not look like the alternative solutions will be explored. According to Webb, the department has seen the petition: “our decision follows the essential practice of higher education to regularly assess and realign resources in areas that will realize the greatest impact for the entire student body. Although the petition demonstrates the passion for the lacrosse program and the impact it has had on both our alumni and current athletes, we are confident in the process and our final decision,” he said. 

Both current and former men’s and women’s lacrosse student-athletes attested to Houghton Lacrosse’s positive impact on their lives: 

“There is a very specific culture surrounding the sport of lacrosse. It is one that certainly contrasts with the values Houghton College stands for. In his time at Houghton, Coach Lundeen created a team and culture that consistently went against the grain and did things in a way that countered that culture. This, after all, is essentially what the Christian lifestyle is. The lacrosse program was just one way that Houghton College equipped its students ‘to lead and labor as scholar-servants in a changing world,’” which is what the college’s mission statement articulates, Hull expressed. 

Currently a senior on the men’s lacrosse team, Anderson also testified to the impacts of this culture—“the Houghton men’s lacrosse team, led by Coach Lundeen, has not only shaped my college experience, but the very foundation of who I am today. I have learned hard work, discipline, determination, respect, honor, courage, grace, patience, faith, and trust through my teammates and Coach Lundeen. They are my family.”

Reegan Mitchell (’22) emphasized how being a part of the Houghton Women’s Lacrosse team has been an integral part of her Houghton experience, saying, “I have played lacrosse for several years now, but playing for a team that loves God and wants to serve Him on and off the field is not something I experienced throughout high school. These girls have pushed me to look beyond myself and learn how to best encourage others in ways that are unique to them. This program has carried out the mission of Houghton Athletics [in] encouraging their players to become strong leaders and teaching them how to be Christ-like on and off the field.” 

It is evident that the Houghton Lacrosse programs’ have left a lasting impact on those who participated in them. It seemed to be a consensus that these current and former student-athletes were saddened by the news of the discontinuing of their teams. As the student-athletes simultaneously reflect on the impacts of the lacrosse program and look ahead to their final year of competitions, the athletic department thanked all of the current and former coaches and players of the two teams on February 4 in an update to their statement, while acknowledging the difficult personal and emotional nature of such a decision. 

While there was a wide range in reactions to the news, Mitchell also acknowledged how she felt going into her final season in a Highlanders lacrosse uniform: “one thing that the women’s lacrosse team has talked about is the blessing of having another day. We in no way deserve the gift of sport but we’ve been blessed through many years of this program to have it. We are not promised a tomorrow, we certainly are not promised four years of lacrosse, so I truly feel blessed to at least know I have this season to look forward to, even if it’s the last.”

What are your thoughts and feelings on the news about the Houghton Lacrosse programs? Comment below or get in touch with us via Instagram, Twitter, or email (star@houghton.edu)!

Categories
Campus News Sports

Fall Sports Off to Strong Start

A few weeks into the fall semester, and athletics are off to a good start. Both the women’s tennis team and field hockey team have seen improvements in their season and are fighting hard in competition.

According to Charlie Ellis, head coach of the tennis team, the team is a close-knit group which has a high level of respect for each other and the teams they compete against. It’s been a good season and although they have had some difficulties with illnesses and the high demands of the classroom, the team is holding together very well.

“The girls are an extremely humble group,” said Ellis. “It’s enjoyable to work with them because they really do care about the team and their reputation deeply.”

Ellis emphasized the positive culture his team has created between every player, “These girls enjoy each other’s company regardless of ability. They push each other everyday and work to help each other instead of trying to compete within their team.”

As a coach, Ellis likes to observe the girls who are not typically in the front line up. Their goal is to push the players at the top in practice everyday. “They always do a great job pushing and fighting to reach the top,” said Ellis. He explained how those girls have to work hard because they always have to be ready to be called upon to play in a game.

As a team, “They don’t press and get outside of what they are capable of doing and they don’t embarrass themselves. They make sure the other team has to play and really fight for their points. Even if a team beats us, they have to spend a long time fighting for it,” said Ellis.

Women’s tennis is a new team, just started 4 years ago by their current coach. Ellis attributes their success to the girls’ commitment to improving their tennis game. As a coach, he focuses on the skill sets of his athletes and seeing individual and team improvement each week and year.

Ellis said, “We are more focused on measuring the physical success of tennis skills compared to winning or losing. The skills of our team are better this year for sure.”

The team looks forward to their home match against Alfred University on Tuesday, October 4th. Ellis said, “It’s always a pretty even competition and it’s nice to enjoy a conference match with a team right down the road.”

Also showing success, with a 4-2 record, the field hockey team is one to look out for this season. According to Elizabeth Modesto ‘18, “This year’s team is primarily upperclassmen who have been playing with each other for several years. We’ve also gained some solid key players.”

Captain Kelsie Ashley ‘17 said, “Our team is unique in that we have a larger roster than years past. Even with some new players, our previously young team has transitioned into a veteran squad.”

Modesto commended their strong season to the team’s connectivity on and off the field. This strength is witnessed in their successful passing patterns up the field and their constant communication.

One of the team’s main goals for their season is to push each other to their full potential and raise the overall standard of play.  According to Ashley this is something they talk about regularly as a team.

Moving forward into a busy season, Ashley, Modesto, and their team look forward to more challenging conference games as well as continued growth in their learning and weakness on the field.

Field Hockey plays at home on October 8th and looks forward to redeeming themselves to Washington & Jefferson College after a tough loss last year.

Categories
Sports

New Tennis Teams are a Hit

Men’s and women’s tennis are welcomed this fall as the two newest teams on campus. Both teams are practicing hard as they begin their inaugural year headed by Coach Charlie Ellis.

“I have come from the corporate world of tennis club and fitness club management. My management of clubs has gone back as far as 18-20 years,” said Coach Ellis, “I feel very fortunate to be working with Skip Lord and Matthew Webb; those men have been extraordinarily supportive of me.”

Bethany Chesebro, sophomore, returns the ball to her opponent.
Bethany Chesebro, sophomore, returns the ball to her opponent.

Under Ellis’s direction, the women began their training two weeks prior to classes along with the rest of the fall athletes, while the men started training this past week. The women have competed in several matches already and are 2-3 overall. While there are thirteen women on the team, not all are able to travel for every match.

“This is a tennis team and even the ones that aren’t playing on that particular day are still important, even the ones that don’t go on the road trips,” said Coach Ellis, “This is a group of girls who have come together and they have established a relationship with each other that is unprecedented. They are extraordinarily supportive of each other to play as a team and to serve their Lord.”

“For almost all of us, it is our first time being a Houghton athlete,” said junior Molly Freihofer, “So while we have had to learn a lot, the process of forming the first women’s tennis team was something we were all excited about and have really enjoyed.”

At a tournament, six single matches are played and three doubles, each counting as one point. Thus, there is a total of nine points to be earned in a college tennis match. The winner must win five or more of those points.

The women were down 4-1 against Medaille on September 5th, but fought to win each subsequent game. The men have played one match thus far, against Penn State Behrend. It was a close competition, as the men lost 5-4.

Junior Brennen Campbell expressed the men’s goals: “To have the highest overall team GPA of Houghton Athletics, to make an impression on the opponents that we face throughout the season, and to build the Houghton tennis program to be one that will be recognized as a competitive Empire 8 program.”

Each player has come in with a different level of playing experience. While the teams are training athletically to improve and fine-tune their skills, they are also encouraging each other spiritually. The women have devotions led by chaplains and prayer partners, while the men emphasize prayer before and after they meet to compete.

“The team has been getting along really well. Everyone’s personality works together to form the disciplined team that we have this year,” said Campbell, “No matter the skill level, everyone is willing to help improve their fellow teammates.”

“They have responded very well to my coaching, my direction, as well as the understanding that we are about to embark on another journey, of Houghton tennis,” said Coach Ellis, “And we want to set a culture and footprint off the right foot. The girls and boys have responded very well to understanding the gravity of that.”